Namibia is working towards producing 60 per cent of all pork for the local market. (Image source: USAID Southern Africa)

Namibia’s smallholder farmers are showing growing interest in pig farming since a new pilot scheme was rolled out aimed at promoting and protecting the sector

The Meat Board, which put the Pig Protection Scheme into force last October, has implemented a new strategy to work out the price of pork.

An estimated 25 per cent of pig products are sourced locally with 25 per cent imported from South Africa, but the country’s pig farmers are working towards producing 60 per cent of all pork for the local market.

The board assesses South African pig prices and adds the difference to Namibian feed and transportation costs to work out a monthly price.

As a result, there has been increased demand on the locally produced pig products and also a rise in demand to local feed producers.

Some producers are against the piloted scheme as they will be unable to buy large quantities of cheap imported pork.

The association expects the scheme to be managed by the government as an official protection scheme for the pig industry.

At the moment there are around 600 pig producers in Namibia with most of them having between three and 10 pigs.